Newport Middle School

STUDENT HANDBOOK 2025-2026

Vision Statement

Newport Middle School will foster an environment where all students excel academically, socially, and emotionally through the collaborative efforts of the community, school personnel, and students.

Mission Statement

Newport Middle School is committed to providing a safe environment for all students to achieve to the best of their ability. Students, staff, and the community will work together to help every child realize their potential to become responsible citizens, self-motivated, goal-oriented, respectful and empathetic young adults and life-long learners.

This agenda belongs to:

        Name ___________________________________________________________

        Homeroom Teacher _______________________________________________

         Grade _______        Locker Number _________          Bus Number ________

General School Information

Be Informed! Detailed public education, school system and school policies can be found at the following websites:

 Carteret County Public School System          www.carteretcountyschools.org  

 North Carolina Public Schools                www.ncpublicschools.org

 Newport Middle School                                  www.nms.carteretcountyschools.org 

Communication to Eagle Stakeholders

Effective communication is a vital component in helping students to be successful in their educational endeavors.  We use the following modes of communication to inform our stakeholders:

Parental Responsibilities

To help your child throughout the school year and to stay in communication with your child’s school, keep these tips in mind:

• Agenda – Review agenda and sign it each day.

• Monitor homework—Is it regularly assigned?  Does your child complete his or her homework correctly and turn it in on time?  Keep in touch with your child’s teacher about accuracy, completeness and timeliness.  Check/review your child’s homework every night.

• Communicate with your child’s school—Check your child’s book bag for school newsletters and notes from the teacher.  Attend parent-teacher conferences.  Find out what is the best way to stay in constant communication with your child’s teacher.
• Attendance - Ensure that your child is present and on time for school daily.

SRO

Officer Joaquin Alvarado                                                     252-223-3482

School Counselor Assignments

All 6th grade students and ½ of 7th (M-Z)                                                                                  Ms. Koczot

All 8th grade students and ½ of 7th (A-L)        Mrs. Delorier

Emergency Closing and Notification

Weather conditions, power outages, or other emergencies at times make it necessary to cancel school for the day, delay the opening of school or dismiss school before the normal time.  The decision to cancel or delay the opening of school is usually made by 5:30am.  The decision to dismiss school early is made when necessary.

After a decision regarding the school day is made it will be relayed immediately to the local radio and television stations.  A recorded message will be sent using the School Messenger system to the telephone numbers on file with the school. As this is our fastest way of communication with you, please be sure the school is notified of any telephone number changes.  Parents and students can go to www.carteretcountyschools.org and click "Closings and Delays" for the latest school closing or delay information.  Remember to refresh/reload each time the site is checked.    

The School Day

The school day will begin at 7:40 am and end at 2:50 pm. No student should be on the school campus before 7:25 am. Students will report to their homeroom or go to the cafeteria for breakfast upon entering the building.  Students wishing to eat breakfast should report directly to the cafeteria after 7:25  Supervision will be provided in the cafeteria each morning.  The tardy bell will ring at 7:40 am. Tardy students must sign in at the office prior to reporting to class.  

First load bus riders and car riders will be dismissed at 2:50 pm.  In case there is a need for a second load, second load bus riders will report to the cafeteria and remain there until dismissed to their bus.  No student should be in the hallway 5 minutes after the first bell without a written pass from a staff member.  

All students must be off campus after school dismissal unless under teacher supervision. Students remaining after school for a school-sponsored activity must be in that class/location by 3:00 pm and remain with that supervisor until picked up by a parent. Teachers and staff have professional responsibilities that they need to be able to attend each day, making it impossible to supervise students except for school-sponsored activities before 7:25 am or after 3:00 pm.  Students whose parents cannot pick them up by 3:10 pm must ride the bus home or arrange other transportation.  Students found to be on campus waiting for rides after 3:15pm more than 3 times in a semester will be assigned to a bus.

To protect instructional time, parents are urged to make all medical appointments for after school hours. If it is necessary to check your student out of school, parents are required to send a note with the appropriate time, destination, and parent signature to school on the day of the appointment. The student should bring this note to the office first thing in the morning to be put on the check-out list.  Students should report to the office at the departure time and wait for a parent/guardian to sign him/her out.  Parents who do not send a note will be asked to wait until the next class change time so as not to interrupt instructional time.

Attendance

A student's job, at this stage of life, is attending school and learning. All future work habits, including attendance practices, begin at school. Students who miss school for unexcused reasons develop unacceptable work ethics. Studies show that students with high attendance rates make the best grades, show the greatest understanding, and prove the most ready for the workplace in later years. Students cannot learn if they are not at school. Students are expected to be present and failure by the student to meet the attendance standard will be taken into account by the principal when making a promotion decision at the elementary and middle school levels. The North Carolina General Assembly passed General Statute 115C-378, entitled the Compulsory Attendance Law, in 1955 and amended it through 1992. This law, in conjunction with the rules and regulations of the North Carolina State Board of Education, makes parents and legal guardians responsible and accountable to ensure that their children’s absences from school are valid.

We realize that some absences are unavoidable, and these are valid and excusable:

• Illness
• Injury
• death in the immediate family

• medical and dental visits
• judicial or administrative proceedings
• religious observances
• deployment activities (see CCPS BOE Attendance Policy)
• alternate educational opportunities (Absence for educational purposes requires advanced permission of the school principal.  For an excused absence for educational reasons, the intent of the experience should have been educational from the outset and comparable to that which the student would have experienced in school.  Family trips and vacations that were not designed, initially, to be educational will not be excused.  Additionally, the absence may not be excused if the cumulative effect of such absences would substantially interfere with the education of the student).  

Any student who checks out before 11:45 pm and does not return that day or checks in after 11:45 pm without being at school earlier that day is considered absent for the entire day. Students absent during the school day may not participate in any extracurricular activities.

Absence Notes

If a student has been absent from school, a note with the date, reason, and parent signature must be provided within 3 days of the absence in order for it to be excused (if the reason for the absence is state-approved as listed above).  

Make-up Work

Students also need to check with each teacher to find out about missing work and schedule make-up times.  Any missed classwork, homework, tests, or other assignments must be made up within a reasonable amount of time.  A general rule of thumb is one day to make up work for every day absent (ie. 3 days absent = 3 days to make up work).  Failure to make up work in the allowed time may result in no credit for the assignment.

Tardy Policy

Students who are tardy in the morning must sign in at the office before they report to class.  They will be given a pass from the office.  Tardies to class during the school day and to school in the morning are cumulative.  At the third tardy within each nine-week period, parents will receive notification of the issue.  Students will receive lunch detention every third tardy (3, 6, 9, etc.).  Repeat offenders will be referred to the school social worker.

Lockers

The school will provide lockers and locks with each team determining a locker schedule. Only school-issued combination locks will be allowed, and the combination of all locks must be on file in the students' homeroom and the office. Lockers are school property and may be searched by school authorities at any time.  Damaged or lost locks can be replaced for a $5.00 charge.  All bags (book bags, purses, etc.)  must be stored in lockers for the entire school day.

Medication at School

We recognize that students may need to take medication during school hours.  To minimize disruptions to the school day, medicines should be taken at home rather than at school whenever feasible.

In accordance with BOE Policy 6125 (April 2014), school employees are authorized to administer medication when the following conditions have been met.

1. A “Physician’s Authorization Form” has been completed and signed by the physician prescribing the administration of the drug or medication for the student during the school day.  This completed form gives specific instructions identifying the student, medication, dosage, time to administer medications as well as medication available.
2. All medications including over-the-counter medications as well as medications available only by a physician’s prescription must be prescribed by the physician.
3. The student’s parent or legal custodian must sign the completed “Physician’s Authorization Form” and deliver the completed form along with the medication, prescription or over-the-counter, to school.  Medication will be stored in the office.

4. All medication should be delivered in the original container with a pharmacist’s label designating the student's name, name of drug, instructions and name of physician.
5. Students are not allowed to deliver medications to school.  The only three medications that any student will be allowed to carry are an Epi Pen, asthma inhaler, or diabetic medication.  These medications should be delivered to the school by the parent and will be signed out to the student by the administration or nurse if the physician’s order indicates the need for the student to carry.  After discussing the responsibilities that pertain to carrying the emergency medication, the medication will then be signed out to the student to carry.

Cafeteria Information

Deliveries/Special Events

Students may bring their lunch or purchase food items in the cafeteria.  They may not have food delivered from outside sources.  Parents may bring a “special lunch” for their child only and eat with them in a separate location. This must be scheduled with the front office.  Additionally, the school will not accept special delivery items (flowers, balloons, food, etc.) for holidays and special occasions (Valentine’s Day, birthday, etc.)

Physical Education Classes

Every student is required to participate in PE class. The following dress expectations are set forth for Physical Education Classes:

• Sneakers/tennis shoes must be worn to participate.  
• Longer hair needs to be pulled back with a hair tie.

Student Conduct

The academic and social expectations for students at Newport Middle School are high.  Respect for self, instructional time, and environment are essential for student learning to occur. Thus, students are expected to display appropriate behavior at all times on campus during the school day as well as at after-hour events.

NMS Electronic Devices Policy

All electronic devices, including cell phones, should be turned off at 7:24 and stored each morning. Electronic devices are not allowed at school activities such as dances, and field trips.  If an electronic device is confiscated during the school day, a parent/guardian should report to the office for pick up.  Repeat offenders will also have disciplinary consequences including detention, ISS or OSS.

Technology Use Expectations

Appropriate Use: All students are expected to exercise good judgment, use computer resources in an appropriate manner and adhere to school system policies as well as all applicable rules and regulations.

Specifically Prohibited: Commercial use; Political use; Illegal or harassing use – illegal use includes threatening another person; abusing, annoying or embarrassing another person.

Inappropriate Use: Includes using another’s ID or Password as well as Plagiarism.  School system networks may not be used for purposes such as downloading entertainment software or music programs.

Technology Responsible Use Agreement:  All students must sign the Technology Responsible Use Agreement for Carteret County Public Schools in order to have access to technology at Newport Middle School

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Guidelines

In Carteret County Public Schools, we are committed to integrating Generative AI tools ethically and effectively to prepare students for the future. For students in grades PK-5, Generative AI tools will be modeled by teachers in the classroom. Students in grades 6-12 may directly interact with AI tools such as Gemini and MagicSchool as an educational resource, under the guidance and direction of their teachers. These tools are intended to support personalized learning, enhance creativity, and develop future-ready skills. Parents and guardians can review our comprehensive AI Usage Guidelines, which include the AI Academic Rubric used in 6-12 classrooms, at the following link: bit.ly/ccpsaiguidelines

Selling Items on Campus

Students are not allowed to sell any item on school property except for Board of Education approved items. Teachers and staff will confiscate money and items being sold and return them only to parents or to the student at the end of the day.

Choices

Choices is a supervised time-out classroom where students will remain until an administrator is able to meet with them and/or make a determination as to what action will be taken.  This may include contacting parents and/or consequences for violations of the Carteret County Board of Education Student Code of Conduct.  Choices is also used for students who have been assigned In-School Suspension (ISS).

PBIS

NMS is a PBIS (POSITIVE BEHAVIOR and INTERVENTION SUPPORT) School.  Being a PBIS school means that we have chosen to use a school-wide approach to behavior management designed to be proactive and positive for our students, our parents, our staff, and the community. Our focus is on instruction of positive behaviors, and prevention of negative behaviors, not punishment. NMS students are taught how to be punctual and prepared, make responsible decisions and show respect for themselves and others. NMS students are encouraged and their successes are noted and celebrated. At the same time, problem behaviors have clear consequences. Effective behavioral support strategies are in place at the school wide level, specific settings within the school day, and for individual students. These strategies and procedures are designed to meet the needs of all students.

NEWPORT PBIS MATRIX                          

NEWPORT EAGLES ARE

NEWPORT MIDDLE SCHOOL

STUDENT DISCIPLINE POLICY

Newport Middle School is using the guidelines for disciplinary action developed by the Carteret County Board Education to determine discipline consequences. Specific behaviors not addressed by the plan will be dealt with as needed and/or by local policy developed at NMS. The Code of Student Conduct may be found on the Carteret County Schools website: https://www.carteretcountyschools.org/

NMS Integrity Policy

Any student who engages in or attempts to engage in plagiarism or falsification shall be subject to disciplinary action under BOE policy 4310/Cheating, Plagiarism, Falsification #3 on the Guidelines for Disciplinary Action.  The following behaviors are specifically prohibited:

1. Cheating—Cheating includes the actual giving or receiving any unauthorized aid or assistance or the actual giving or receiving of unfair advantage of any form of academic work.
2. Plagiarism—Plagiarism includes the copying of the language structure, idea and/or thought of another and representing it as one’s own original work.
3. Falsification—Falsification includes the verbal or written statement of any untruth.  All integrity violations, to include blatant plagiarism and forgery, are to be reported through a discipline referral form to the administration for documentation purposes.    

NMS Student Dress Code

School is a place of business for students and staff. Students at NMS should take pride in their personal appearance and come to school appropriately dressed.

Please consider this list of Appropriate Attire for School: 

• Jeans, khakis, capris, long pants

• Crew neck shirts, collared shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets
• Appropriate length shorts and skirts/dresses, Bermuda shorts
• Clothing that covers all undergarments (bra straps, boxers, underwear, etc.)

Inappropriate attire for school includes, but is not limited to:

Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying

The Carteret County Board of Education believes that all employees and students should be free of unlawful discrimination, harassment, and bullying as a part of a safe, orderly, caring, and inviting working and learning environment.  The Board also prohibits retaliation against an employee or student who has exercised any rights made available through state or federal law, including prohibiting retaliation for reporting violations of this policy.  Any violation of this policy is considered a serious violation and appropriate action will be taken in response to a violation.

This regulation applies to students, employees and all other individuals:

1. while in any school building or on any school premises before, during, or after school hours;
2. while on any bus or other vehicle as part of any school activity;
3. while waiting at any bus stop; or on the way to/from a bus stop;
4. during any school function, extracurricular activity or other activity or event;
5. when subject to the authority of school personnel; and,
6. any time or place when the behavior has a direct and immediate effect on maintaining order and discipline in the schools.

For purposes of this regulation, the following definitions will apply:

Bus Expectations

Rules and regulations for school bus passengers and bus drivers have been adopted by the Carteret County Board of Education to insure the safety of the passengers and the efficiency of our transportation system.  Students who fail to observe these rules will be subject to immediate disciplinary action, since their failure may affect the safety of others.  Remember, riding a school bus is a privilege, not a right.  While at the bus stop waiting for the bus, all school rules are in effect.

School Bus Rules

1. Be at the assigned bus stop five (5) minutes before the scheduled time.  The bus cannot wait for late students.
2. Remain off of the road while waiting at the bus stop.  
3. While boarding/exiting, do not cross the road until the bus and all traffic have stopped and the driver motions that it is safe to cross.
4. Walk across the road approximately ten feet in front of the bus in full view of the driver.
5. Upon boarding the bus, take a seat quickly and remain seated in assigned seat at all times.
6. Keep all body parts and objects inside the bus at all times.

7. Do not throw anything inside the bus or out of the windows.
8. Do not shout, wave or gesture from the bus windows to pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles.
9. Cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off and stowed while on the bus.
10. No unnecessary or dangerous items should be brought onto a school bus.
11. Do not eat, drink or chew gum while riding on a school bus.
12. Keep the aisle of the bus clear at all times.
13. No profane or vulgar language or gestures are allowed on the school bus.
14. Passengers will not be loud, boisterous, or distract the driver’s attention in any way.
15. Passengers must remain completely silent at all railroad crossings.
16. Playing, hitting, horseplay, fighting, etc. on the bus will not be tolerated.
17. Passengers must not tamper with the emergency exits or any other part of the bus.
18. Students must not damage or litter on the bus in any way.  
19. No student may ride a bus unless assigned to it by the school administrator.
20. A student will ride only his/her assigned bus and will leave the bus only at his/her assigned stop.

Consequences for Violation of Bus Rules and Regulations:

Students who fail to observe these rules will be subject to immediate disciplinary action since their failure to do so may affect the safety of others.  In general, the following steps will be followed.  However, consequences for behavior deemed excessively dangerous will be at the discretion of school administration.

Violation #1: Written Warning to be signed by parent and written review of bus rules or administrator’s discretion

Violation #2: Suspension from the bus for 1 day  or administrator’s discretion

Violation #3: Suspension from the bus for 5  days or administrator’s discretion

Violation #4: Suspension from the bus for 10 days or the administrator’s discretion

Violation #5:  Suspension for the remainder of the school year or the administrator’s discretion

Beyond the Classroom

Athletic Eligibility

All students are eligible to try out for all after school athletic programs with the exception of 6th graders who are not eligible to play Football.  They must have a current physical on file in the office no later than the first day of tryouts and if chosen to participate in after school athletics, they must adhere to the standards set by the Department of Public Instruction, Crystal Coast Middle School Athletic Conference, and Newport Middle School. Student athletes who are suspended out of school or receive a failing grade on their report card during a season are no longer eligible for play for that sport season.  Any issue not specifically addressed in this document is covered in the North Carolina Middle School Athletics Manual and/or Crystal Coast Athletic Conference Constitution.

Students must have their physicals before trying out for ANY athletic team, including cheerleading.  Physicals should be scheduled during the summer.  A physical remains current for 395 days,  therefore, physicals received during the summer and submitted to the office will ensure eligibility for try-outs for all sports that school year. The approximate tryout dates will be announced at least 2 weeks prior to each sport season.  Sports that we currently offer at NMS include: Cheerleading, Football, Golf, Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, and Track.

After School Activities

When students attend either home or away events, they are expected to be on their best behavior at all times. This expectation applies to participants and spectators. Students not exhibiting proper conduct will be required to leave the event and may be unable to attend future events. Parents must pick up students within 15 minutes of the end of the event.  Also, students that served ISS or OSS are ineligible to participate in any after school activities on the day on which the suspension was served.

Student Fees

Students owing fees to the school for any reason (library book, agenda, ID, etc.) will not be allowed to participate in any reward activity, dance, or other school function.  Information regarding student fees may be obtained from the school office.  

National Junior Honor Society

The NMS National Junior Honor Society chapter establishes rules for membership that are based upon a student’s outstanding performance in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.   These criteria for selection form the foundation upon which the organization and its activities are built.